03 May Nigeria’s CSOs report high volume of digital security attacks

A report from the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), has found that 31% of civil society organisations (CSOs) in West Africa have experienced a digital security attack in the space of the last 12 months.

Nigeria recorded the highest volume of attacks with 10.75%, with Ghana closely following behind. In addition, 25% of the overall attacks happened multiple times.

Alarmingly the Landscape Mapping of Civil Society Digital Security in West Africa report, also highlighted that nearly half (45%) of CSOs were not aware of national laws or regulations on digital security.

Just a small number of CSOs (23.6%) had computer and information security policies in place.

Nana Afadzinu, Executive Director of WACSI, explained that the research was commissioned to gain a holistic view of how digital security affects the work of CSOs in the region. She said: “While this is critical in informing and shaping the Institute’s work going forward, it constitutes a rich body of knowledge that can inspire a diverse pool of stakeholders to contribute, together with WACSI, to improve the digital landscape to enable the work of CSOs.”